Teaching, Territory and Visions for the Future of Alpine Living

The lateral valleys of the Canton of Ticino serve as a vast laboratory of ideas, where education and the surrounding landscape intersect through numerous architectural projects that explore their potential. This is the goal of the 2026 diploma atelier at the USI Academy of Architecture, titled "Ticino, Lateral Perspectives: A Reflection on 16 Side Valleys for a Unified Vision of the Ticino Territory." In this atelier, about 130 students and 16 professors have been assigned to specific valleys, transforming an academic exercise into a powerful tool for analysing and interpreting the contemporary landscape—and perhaps envisioning future opportunities. The topic was explored in a feature produced in collaboration with laRegione, which we present below.

"The diploma is a moment of teaching, not of scientific research," emphasises Professor Martino Pedrozzi, Director of the atelier, "but it is also through the project that one studies and understands the potential of a territory.” The concentration of over a hundred projects in a limited area, developed over just a few months, generates a wealth of ideas that extend beyond student training. This becomes a catalyst for public debate and the exchange of alternative perspectives. Following the diploma projects of 2008 (AlpTransit), 2014 (Città Ticino), and 2020 (Chiasso–Ponte Chiasso. Integration), this is the fourth project the Academy has dedicated to the canton. Unlike the previous three, which focused on the valley floor, this year's edition will integrate the lateral valleys, enabling a comprehensive exploration of the Ticino's territory in all its complexity.

What is meant by "lateral valleys"

Within the framework proposed by the atelier, the concept of "lateral valleys" takes on a precise meaning: not marginal or isolated valleys, but territories that develop outside the main railway axes. "They are not normally considered lateral valleys," Pedrozzi explains, "but they become so if we read them in relation to the valleys along which the railway runs." The study thus includes Valle di Blenio, Verzasca, Maggia, Morobbia, Capriasca, Valle del Cassarate, Valle della Tresa and many others, all sharing one fundamental requirement: they are inhabited and partly urbanised. "They are not remote valleys accessible only on foot. They are lived-in valleys," Pedrozzi clarifies.

Sixteen valleys, sixteen approaches

Each region has been assigned to a specific professor based on their expertise and disciplinary interests. The overall framework is shared, but the design approach remains free. "Once this framework is defined, each professor is free to develop a programme as they see fit."

Projects range from precise architectural scale—such as the design of public buildings or collective housing—to complex territorial interventions related to mobility, landscape, or infrastructural organisation. "Within the same atelier," he explains, "there may be both architectural projects and territorial organisation projects." This plurality of scales and themes reflects the complexity of the Alpine valleys themselves, which cannot be reduced to a single narrative.

Possible cross-cutting themes

Although each valley has its own characteristics linked to morphology, history, and the economic and cultural processes that have shaped its identity over time, it is nonetheless possible to identify common—or at least transversal—themes. These can provide a shared framework for reflection across the entire diploma course.

Among the "hot topics" are depopulation (can counter-strategies be explored?), climate change, hydrogeological risks—whose potentially devastating effects have recently been witnessed in our own valleys—road systems and connections to overcome isolation. There is also the enhancement of built and landscape heritage, sometimes abandoned; the strengthening of sustainable tourism and local services to improve residents' quality of life; and the responsible use of local resources. And more besides: energy, ecological transition, and administrative reorganisation.

Between pragmatism and "outside-the-box" visions

Within this context, some ateliers have chosen an approach closely anchored to administrative reality and local politics, working in close contact with mayors and regional development bodies. Others have explored more conceptual, more unconventional scenarios—somewhat more imaginative, somewhat beyond customary frameworks.

As the coordinator notes, however, "'imaginative' is a risky word, because it can suggest something useless or detached from reality," which is clearly not the case. The aim is not abstraction for its own sake, but the capacity to generate lateral ideas that open new possibilities. An emblematic example is the project under development for Valle Onsernone, which envisions a network of spaces for a valley-wide contemporary art biennale. "It is outside the usual schemes, but not excessively so," Pedrozzi observes, recalling that similar initiatives already exist in other European contexts.

The value of an outside perspective

One of the richest elements of the experience is the strong international character of the student body. "Students come from very different realities, not only in origin but also in training," the professor explains. Many enter the master's programme after completing a bachelor's degree elsewhere, bringing with them diverse approaches and sensibilities.

This "outside perspective" allows for fresh interpretations of a territory that is often taken for granted. The aim is not to propose solutions that are immediately implementable, but to question consolidated categories. To prepare professors and students, a study trip was organised in autumn "to show how the Ticino territory, which within just a few kilometres shifts from the subtropical climate of the Isole di Brissago to Alpine peaks, is truly unique." In addition, each professor was given a copy of Il fondo del sacco by Plinio Martini.

Throughout the year, three key events have been planned to highlight the design activities: a seminar in February, followed by intermediate reviews in March and final reviews in June. To emphasise the course's international focus, the final reviews will include presentations by Brazilian architect Angelo Bucci and his Mexican colleague, Loreta Castro Reguera, who is also a former student of the Academy.

Landscape, responsibility and sustainability

Designing in the valleys entails particular responsibility. "If in the city the subject is the city," Pedrozzi states, "in the valleys the subject immediately becomes the intervention within the landscape." Architectural integration, therefore, carries greater weight, especially when public functions are involved.

Added to this is the now central issue of sustainability. "It is a transversal theme that concerns all disciplines and everyday life itself," he notes, recalling how, until only a few years ago, it was considered marginal. Today, by contrast, it is an indispensable premise—particularly in environmentally and hydrogeologically sensitive areas.

Potential and risks of Ticino's valleys

The lateral valleys are not only places of fragility, but also of great opportunity. "The potential is enormous," states the professor, citing landscape quality, natural resources—water, stone, timber—and new possibilities offered by mobility and remote work.

Risks, however, remain. Pedrozzi warns in particular against disproportionate interventions or projects disconnected from the real needs of residents: “Cathedrals in the desert emerge when something is created that does not meet a collective necessity." Yet he adds, somewhat provocatively, "large scale should not frighten us: even a small chapel, if it is not functional, can become useless.”

A collective brainstorming

Ultimately, the deeper meaning of the diploma atelier lies precisely in its experimental nature. "It should be seen as a gigantic brainstorming," he explains. Not an operational plan, but a reservoir of ideas, visions and open questions.

The results will be showcased in a major public exhibition designed to engage the entire canton, especially the communities of the sixteen valleys that were studied. This exhibition provides an opportunity to give back to the territory what it has offered: valuable insights for envisioning the future.

Content produced and published in collaboration with laRegione. (Italian only)